The mobility industry is accelerating—a fact on full display at MOVE 2019 in London last month. FreeWire was a major collaborator at the conference, which explored the urban transportation revolution. The FreeWire team was not only on the expo floor demonstrating our infrastructure-light products alongside our partner BP, we were also on stage together presenting solutions to meet growing electric vehicle demand. As an early investor in FreeWire, BP recognizes the huge potential for deploying mobile EV charging as adoption and energy needs evolve.

BP and FreeWire developed a pilot of mobile EV charging using our Mobi® EV Chargers at a BP forecourt in London’s Hammersmith neighborhood. At MOVE, Roy Williamson, VP of Advanced Mobility at BP, and Arcady Sosinov, CEO of FreeWire, presented the results from this 2018 pilot on the main stage. After a quick rollout and months of data collection, the pilot determined that this particular BP forecourt was an ideal charging location for EV drivers without the need for installing expensive, fixed infrastructure.

The study also gathered a wealth of charging information including: utilization, number of charges over time, average charge per EV and even percentage of participants who purchased items from the convenient store. BP can use this data as it considers next steps in rolling out EV charging at other locations. FreeWire’s flexible technology allows BP to make better informed decisions about the placement and scaling of their EV charging infrastructure—all with less risk. “Choosing the right location for charging stations gets expensive. [FreeWire’s] Mobis can test for EV utilization and provide electrification beyond the grid,” said Arcady during the presentation.

The findings contribute to the larger discussion around mass EV adoption and how the industry can strategically scale charging infrastructure to meet demand. Installing expensive chargers in wrong or underutilized locations is costly, so data science and non-permanent options are important tools for growing the mobility space effectively and efficiently. Watch Arcady explain how innovative energy storage technologies can solve challenges facing electricity infrastructure and overcome barriers to EV growth.

Interested in strategically scaling EV charging before investing in permanent infrastructure? Schedule a demo to see how we can set you up for success.